Christmas Wine
by OhMyWord
Summary: They felt soft as they smoothed some hair away from my face. It scared me how good it felt and I sat upright and slid away from him. He looked surprised and something else, embarrassed? It was like I’d caught him doing something wrong.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Originally this was going to be a one shot, but I started writing and couldn't stop so now it'll be posted in three parts. I'm still working on the other story if anyone was wondering, but I needed a breather for a few days. Enjoy :)

Nice reviews are better than chocolate, unless maybe you're licking that chocolate off someone.

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"_Oh…That was so real"_

"Ok, ok I'll go," I paused to think of my terms, "but if this turns into a Noah's ark thing and you guys pair off and leave me with Edward, so help me Alice…" I trailed off, unable to think of anything bad enough. She barely paid attention, distracted as she was by the effort involved with closing her suitcase. It was a vintage Louis Vuitton (I only know because she told me) that she was currently sitting on while struggling to lock shut.

"Yes, yes, we promise not to leave you two alone, God forbid you try and get along," she responded breathlessly. When her suitcase was finally closed she walked into my room and pulled my old black duffel out of my closet and unzipped it.

"What are you doing?" I stood in my doorway with my arms folded against my chest; I was going for a look of indignation.

"If I leave it to you, you'll pack nothing but sweatpants," she answered over her shoulder. She was going through my closet, looking a little disappointed. "It's too bad we're not the same size, you could just wear my things," she muttered to herself.

I gave up the fight; she was going to do what she wanted regardless. Ostensibly, Alice and Jasper had planned this Christmas getaway, although I knew it was mostly Alice's doing. We were a bit of a ragtag group this year. Jasper's parents had passed away years ago and he didn't really have any other family so she decided to gather all her friends that had nowhere to go this year and go to her mother's cabin. The group included the three of us plus our mutual friend Angela and her boyfriend Ben. And Edward.

Unfortunately.

It's not that we didn't get along per se; or even that I didn't like him. It's just that I'm pretty sure he couldn't stand me and I had no idea why. The irrationality of that drove me crazy. He was aloof to the point of rudeness; I always had this feeling that he thought he was better than me. That felt so childish to even think. But he was so cold toward me; I was constantly wondering what I'd done wrong. I really wasn't looking forward to feeling that way for this entire trip.

But there was no denying Alice's will and if she wanted me to go, I was going to go. It could be fun…or at least bearable.

"I thought we were just going to be hanging out in a cabin for a week, what do I need nice clothes for?" I walked in and plopped myself down on the bed, watching with curiosity as Alice put in my nicest pair of dark grey slacks and a fitted black cashmere sweater; it was incredibly soft and was cut in a deep V in the front.

"I wish you owned even one dress, but this will do. We're going to spend most of the time in the cabin, but town isn't that far away, we can go and check it out, have dinner. There's a really nice restaurant there that my mom always goes to." She grabbed my only heels, a pair of knee high black boots and stuffed them into my suitcase, then zipped it shut. "_Try_ and have a good time, please. At least for Jasper, ok?"

I nodded. The holidays were a difficult time for him, up until this year he'd spent most of them alone. I didn't know much about his life before we all met, but I had a feeling it hadn't been easy. If it meant that I could make Jasper a little happier, I would put on my brave face gladly.

"Ok, get some rest. We're leaving at ten." With that, she glided out of the room. "G'night!" I heard her call out before she closed her door.

"Night, Alice," I called back. I pulled the bag off the bed and set it on the floor. I searched in my dresser until I found my favorite sweat pants and an old white t-shirt and put them on and got under the covers. Maybe Alice's enthusiasm was rubbing off on me because before I fell asleep I began to actually look forward to this little trip.

"Alice, it's 10:30," I was sitting at the island in our kitchen finishing up some yogurt.

"I know, I know! You can go on ahead if you want," she called from the bathroom. "The directions are on the counter," she added.

"Are you sure?" Normally, I would wait for her, but the weather report this morning didn't look promising. It looked as though a storm was going to sweep through the entire state by tonight and I was not looking forward to driving in those conditions. I stood up and threw my yogurt container away and grabbed the directions; they looked easy enough to follow. I could take the interstate almost the entire way.

"Yeah, go ahead," she appeared at the end of the hall, "I still need to go over to Jasper's and pick him and Edward up anyway. Angela and Ben are taking their own car. I know how much you want to ride in the back with Edward the whole way," she smirked.

I bit my lip; the drive was going to take about four hours and I wasn't sure if I wanted to make that all alone. But it was either that or sit by Edward all afternoon. "Ok, I'm heading out then."

I grabbed my coat, keys, and duffel and slipped on my old Converse. Alice came over and gave me a quick hug. "Drive safely; I'll call you when we're on the road."

"See ya soon Alice," I smiled and turned toward the door.

"Oh! One more thing," she dug through her purse and pulled out some cash. She took a breath, "since you'll probably get there first would you mind getting some food for the house? You'll have to pass through town before you get there anyway."

"That's fine, anything in particular you want?"

"Wine," she grinned.

I chuckled, "anything else?"

"That should do it, thanks Bella." She gave me a peck on the cheek. "Call when you get there, ok? We should only be maybe an hour behind you."

"Ok," I stuck the money in my purse and picked up my duffel to leave.

By the time I was out of town the clouds had blotted out the sky completely. It hadn't started snowing, but it was close. I was suddenly grateful for the snow tires on my car.

The first hour of the drive was uneventful; my favorite radio station had become static twenty minutes prior so I stuck in a cd and was singing along to it, something I'd never do in the presence of another human. It had started to snow by the second half of the drive; it seemed I had made it out just in time.

I took out my phone to call Alice and tell her about the weather but it didn't have any service. I tossed it on the seat next to me; chances are she already knew anyway.

By the time I made it to town to buy groceries, the snow was falling hard. The wind was picking up so I pulled my coat tighter around myself and walked as fast as I could manage into the store. Inside it was warm and I liked it immediately. I grabbed a cart and walked the aisles. I wasn't sure what to get, so I picked up things for dinners I could make; I got ingredients for a roast, lasagna, and a few other meals. I also picked up the requisite junk food and a few breakfast items. The last stop was for alcohol. I really didn't know what I was looking for so I went by which wine bottles had the nicest labels. I picked up four bottles of two different kinds, some beer for the guys, and ingredients for margaritas, Alice's favorite. I paid for the groceries and pushed the cart outside; I was glad I found a parking spot up front. The wind was whipping through the town now, blowing snow into my face. I wished I'd put my hair up.

I stuffed the bags into the backseat, put the cart away, and then jumped inside the car. I hadn't put gloves on and now my hands were going numb. I maneuvered gingerly out of the parking lot and back onto the interstate. It was another twenty minute drive to Alice's cabin and the weather had officially gotten bad. I tried calling her again, but it rolled to voicemail. I left her a message saying I was almost there and to be careful.

Once I thought I was closer to the house, I pulled out Alice's directions. There was a turn off onto an unpaved road coming up; I saw the sign for it after another couple minutes of driving about twenty five miles per hour and turned onto it. The road was thick with snow and curved deep into the forest; I wondered how far back this place was. There was a fork after about a mile and I took the left side, it felt like it was getting dark even though it was only a little after three o'clock. Between the snow and the wind blowing it into the air, I could barely see in front of me anymore. I had my hands braced tightly on the wheel and I was suddenly grateful there were no drop-offs on either side of me should I lose control. I turned off the music to better concentrate and now I could hear the howling of the wind.

After another few minutes I came upon the house. This was supposed to be a cabin? I thought for a minute I'd gotten the directions wrong, but there weren't any other houses in the area, it had to be this one. It was huge, two levels with what looked like a loft for a third floor, with a big porch; it looked like a cabin on steroids. There were no other cars parked near it, not that I'd really been expecting any. It looked like there was a garage a few yards away from it and back a little ways so I pulled in there, unsure if I could actually open it to park inside. I got out of the car and stepped into the snow; it went up almost to my knees. I was soaked and freezing instantly. I trudged over to the garage and made it about four feet before I tripped, throwing my hands out in front of me to catch myself. They sunk into the deep snow along with most of the rest of my body. I got up and made it the rest of the way to the garage…locked. I tried to remember why I'd agreed to come here and then on top of that, why I'd agreed to drive myself. I got back in my car; I was going to park as close to the front door as possible. I started it and threw it into reverse; it wouldn't budge. I put it into drive, still nothing. Crap.

The snow level was almost visibly rising at this point so I knew I needed to get inside fast. I reached into the back and grabbed my duffel and the bags of groceries, struggling to hold it all so I wouldn't have to make a second trip. Then I stuck the car keys and directions in the pocket of my sweatshirt and grabbed the house key Alice had given me. Very, very slowly I made my way over to the house which sat about ten yards to my right. I came around to the front and stomped my feet on the porch trying to shake some of the snow off of them. It had seeped into my shoes and melted, there was a gross squishing feeling every time I took a step. Without putting anything down, I unlocked the door and practically flung myself inside.

It was gorgeous. Everything inside was made from a warm, pale honey colored wood; even in the dim light it seemed to give off a candlelit glow. I appeared to be in the entryway; around the corner on the right was a bright open kitchen with a large dining table next to it. I put the groceries down and stuck the perishable things in the fridge, then put everything else in a cabinet except the wine. I didn't see a wine rack anywhere so I left the bottles on the counter. I slipped off my shoes and set them down near the front door to dry and dug through my bag until I found a pair of socks. Slipping them on, I went to explore the rest of the house. I felt a little soggy, but was quickly warming up. The kitchen opened up to a living room; it had big fireplace against one wall, there were also big windows that looked outside and into the forest. I walked down the hallway and came across the den at the back of the house; it housed a large L shaped couch and a television. Through a pair of double doors I found the stairs. I thought about going and claiming a bedroom, but figured I had plenty of time for that. Upstairs was another full bathroom and two bedrooms, one had a long window seat and I mentally reserved it as my own. It would be the perfect spot to read in.

Back downstairs I grabbed my bag and carried it into the living room; I found a firebox and went to work putting logs into the fireplace. Once it was started, I opened up my bag and pulled out a dry pair of dark flannel pants and a long sleeved white shirt. I took my shirt off and tossed it into one of the plastic bags I'd saved and then did the same with my pants. I'd seen what was probably a laundry room down the hall near the bathroom and made a note to toss my soaked clothes in the dryer.

"Bella?"

I froze, my head covered by my shirt. Quickly I pulled my head through so I could tell who it was, though I didn't have to, I'd recognize that voice anywhere. First came the unpleasant surprised feeling, then the embarrassment; I had no pants on. I put them on faster than I thought possible before looking at him. He was turned around, facing the hallway.

"Edward…what are you doing here?" Ok, kind of stupid.

"I was invited." He turned back toward me cautiously. He wore jeans and no shoes; I guessed his were drying next to mine. He had on black socks and a black long sleeved shirt with no jacket. His duffel bag was slung over his shoulder. "I'm surprised you made it in that car of yours," he smirked.

What was his problem? I tried to remember anything even remotely rude I'd ever said to him, but came up empty. "My car worked just fine."

"I hope you weren't planning on using it anytime soon."

I gave him a questioning look.

"It's buried in snow; I don't think they're running plows along these back roads either." He shrugged as if it didn't matter to him. "Have you picked a room?"

"Yeah, upstairs, the one with the window seat, there's one across the hall on the other side of the kitchen and another one next to mine. I don't know what's in the loft." I sat down on the couch while Edward went to the downstairs bedroom; he didn't even want to be on the same floor as me. I leaned against the arm of the couch and pulled a book out of my bag. Before I could open it I realized that I'd forgotten to call Alice when I got here. I sat up, trying to remember where I put my phone. "Oh." It was still in the car. I was reluctant to leave the warmth of the fire, but I didn't want to knock on Edward's door to see if he had his phone with him. I searched around my bag but the only other shoes were my boots and a pair of flats; I sighed and went to the front door to put my wet shoes back on. I wrapped my jacket tightly around myself and put the hood up; preparing to go out in what was definitely a blizzard.

"I wouldn't do that," I heard Edward's voice behind me.

"And why not?"

"Have you looked outside? It's nice in here and I really don't want to have to go out there and dig you out of the snow later." He grinned crookedly; I hated that stupid, cocky smile. "What do you need? I'll get it for you."

"I left my phone in the car."

"You can use mine if you want."

I hesitated, "ok…thanks." We both stood there a couple of yards from each other; it reminded me of one of those old western movies. Finally, I walked toward him; he chuckled under his breath. Edward handed me his cell phone and I opened it to call Alice. She picked up on the first ring. "Alice?"

"Oh thank God! I've been trying to call you for hours!...Is this Edward's phone?"

"Nevermind that, are you guys on your way? I just got here."

"No, the roads are all closed; we had to turn around. Angela and Ben were right behind us, I'm so sorry, Bella. We're going to try and make it out tomorrow if the weather is any better. I'm assuming Edward is there?"

"Yes," I bit my lip; this was just perfect.

"Well, we'll get out there as soon as we can, ok? And Bella, Edward's a really nice guy; you should give him a chance. He's just standoffish at first; he'll loosen up if you talk to him."

I huffed a laugh, "yeah, alright."

"I'll call you tomorrow; where's your phone?"

"Still in my car which is buried in the snow right now."

"Oh, well I'll call you on this phone then, be nice Bella!" We said goodbye and I hung up, handing the phone back to Edward.

"Did they make it?"

"No, the roads are closed so they had to turn around. She said they'd try to leave tomorrow." I made my way back to my spot on the couch and stretched out, opening up my book. After a while I heard the television in the den come on and I relaxed further.

I didn't know how to make conversation with him. He made me feel, not exactly uncomfortable, just off balance somehow. I couldn't string together coherent thoughts when I was around him.

I don't know how long I read for before I was asleep; between the warmth of the fire and exhaustion from my nerve wracking drive it probably wasn't long. When I woke up there was a blanket over me that I hadn't put there and the fire was still going strong. I couldn't hear the television anymore. I kept the blanket around me and stood up; I had no idea what time it was, but it was getting dark outside. I went into the kitchen and looked at the time on the microwave; it was just after five o'clock.

I decided to get started on dinner; I pulled out the ingredients for lasagna and got started. It occurred to me that Edward was nowhere to be seen, but I assumed he was in his room and tried to forget about him.

The water for the noodles was just starting to boil when the front door opened. Several things went through my head at once – was Alice playing a trick on me and they're really here? Is some backwoods psycho coming to kill me? Is the wind so strong it blew the door open? It was Edward of course; I could hear him take off his jacket and shake it outside, then he shut the door and let his shoes thump noisily on the floor. "Your car is in the garage now." He set my keys back down where I'd left them on the counter.

"Oh," it caught me off guard. "Thanks, you didn't have to do that. How did you get it open? The garage was locked."

He opened his hand to show me another, smaller key. "It was in that drawer next to the oven." He walked over and put it back, then looked at what I was making. I stirred the ground beef and tried not to pay too much attention. "Do you need any help?" He raised his sleeves a little way up his forearms.

Edward's sudden kindness was confusing me. First the blanket, then the car, and now he wants to help me cook dinner? Alice told me to be nice, I could do this. "No that's ok." Or maybe not, I looked up at him and his expression was a little deflated. "I'd appreciate the company though." I smiled; there, that wasn't so hard. He did that crooked smile thing again; it wasn't bad, now that I didn't get the feeling he was making fun of me. He leaned on the counter next to me.

"So…lasagna?"

I chuckled, "yes. Is that ok?"

"Yeah, that would actually really hit the spot."

We were quiet again as I continued to cook. After a bit I turned on the oven and pulled out some sauce for the meat. "Still want to help?"

"Sure."

"Can you shred some cheese? The mozzarella, and parmesan, and go ahead and take out the container of ricotta." I took out the grater for him and set it on the counter; we worked side by side without talking. I had no idea what to say. So, why don't you like me? Why are you being so nice now?

Edward helped me layer the lasagna and then I put it in the oven. We both walked over to the couch to wait; I didn't know about him, but I was feeling particularly awkward. I noticed a deck of cards had been tossed onto the coffee table. "They were in the drawer with the garage key," he said about the cards. "Want to play something?"

"Ok," I followed his lead and sat on the floor on the opposite side of the table. We decided on gin. He won the first hand in three turns; he won the second in four. The game seemed to relax us both and we started talking. I learned he was a graduate student studying English literature; he was an army brat and had traveled all over the world by the time he graduated from high school. He also wanted to be a college professor. I could practically see him letting his guard down; it was nice. "Oh, thank you for the blanket, by the way."

He kept his eyes on his cards, but smiled. "I thought you could use it."

"Gin."

He laughed, "it's about time. Is that three games to one?"

"Oh hush, I think dinner is ready." I got up and checked, then pulled the food out of the oven. I got plates and silverware while Edward looked at the wine bottles.

"You got a lot of alcohol," he commented.

"I thought there'd be more of us."

"Hmm, this is a good one, want a glass?" He went in search of wine glasses.

"Uh, sure." I dished the food onto plates and waited for Edward to pour the wine. We sat down at the dining table; I felt a little too close to him for comfort. He made idle conversation while we ate, asking me random questions about my life. Eventually we settled on a topic we could both talk about, Alice and Jasper.

Once we were finished eating, Edward helped me clean up despite my protests and then we sat in the den to watch a movie. It was an old Christmas movie with Cary Grant, I smiled, "I love this movie."

"Me too," he got up and grabbed my blanket from where I left it in the kitchen and gave it to me. I wrapped myself up in it and got comfortable; there was about a foot between us. He rested his arm along the back of the couch and I was acutely aware that I was in the space underneath it.

We watched another old Christmas movie after that, but I dozed off about halfway through it. When I was waking up, I could feel Edward's fingertips on my face. They felt soft as they smoothed some hair away from my face. It scared me how good it felt and I sat upright and slid away from him. He looked surprised and something else, embarrassed? It was like I'd caught him doing something wrong. "You fell asleep."

"Yeah," I ran a hand through my hair and stood up. "I should go to bed."

Edward stood up, "ok, good night then."

"Good night," I walked quickly up the stairs.

What was happening?


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: This is a tasty little chapter, enjoy :) Also, I forgot to mention, there are pictures for this story on my profile for those of you who haven't checked.

Nice reviews are better than chocolate, unless maybe you're licking that chocolate off someone.

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"_Give me more_

_Well it's you I've waited my life to see_

_It's you I've searched so hard for…"_

I got up around 9:30; I couldn't remember the last time I'd slept in that late. I slipped some socks back on and padded downstairs. I didn't see Edward anywhere and figured he was still sleeping until I heard the strange sounding thump of something hitting the house. I walked over to the big bay window in the living room and looked outside, then I giggled.

Which I'd like to point out, I never do.

It had stopped snowing and the sun was peeking out from behind the clouds. I couldn't see Edward anywhere, instead there was a rather large snowman impersonating him in front of the house. It wore the grey scarf Edward had been wearing the day before and had what looked like small rocks for eyes and a mouth; there were two small branches sticking out like arms. Edward poked his head out from behind the snowman with a grin on his face. I grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch and stepped out onto the porch. I crossed its length to stand closer to him. I smiled, "did you throw a snowball at the window?"

He stepped out fully and shook his head. "It wasn't me," he nodded his head toward the snowman and I laughed. Looking around I got the full impact of the blizzard from the night before. The snow went up to Edward's knees and almost to the top of the porch. It covered everything for as far as I could see, which with all the trees was admittedly not very far.

"Aren't you freezing?" I pulled my blanket tighter, but shivered anyway.

"It's about twenty outside, not bad. There's a storm heading this way though. Oh, Alice called a little while ago and said the roads are still closed so they can't come out today and since tomorrow is Christmas they probably won't make it out until afterward." He shrugged, acting like he didn't have a care in the world. Was it just me or did he seem…happy about the news? It was hard to tell; sometimes he was impossible to read.

"Do you know how the roads are here today? I was thinking about going into town."

"Good luck, nothing is plowed here yet until you get to the interstate; I can't even drive my Jeep through it, I tried before you got up. Looks like we're snowed in."

"Great," I muttered to myself. "Well, I'm going to go inside." I turned to go back in, then did a quick about face, "I like the snowman, by the way."

Edward grinned and struggled over to the porch; he stomped his boots on the stairs and then opened the door, letting me inside first. He stretched himself out on the couch after pulling off some of his layers, shivering slightly from his romp in the snow. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes were bright; he had this boyish look about him that made me smile. I took off my blanket and loosely set it over him. "I thought you could use it," I grinned.

"Thanks," he did the lopsided smile; I had to admit it was kind of growing on me.

I got in the shower upstairs and defrosted for a long while, most of the time spent thinking about Edward and then wondering why I was thinking about him so much. Although I couldn't understand his change of heart, I liked it. Maybe Alice was right, I just needed to get to know him. He was being awfully cute this morning and that is an attribute I _never_ thought I would attach to him.

Once I was finished with my shower I realized I had a strange urge to get back downstairs faster. To get back to Edward? I changed into a soft, worn pair of jeans and a trim dark blue button down sweater. I noticed after I put it on that I matched Edward almost perfectly. His jeans were a little darker in color, probably newer, and his pullover was a lighter blue. I put on some socks and went downstairs, not willing to waste the time changing my clothes.

Edward was cooking; I was surprised I hadn't smelled it from upstairs. He appeared to be making waffles. He turned when he heard me approach and smiled. "My turn, I guess. Here, hang on a second." He put a waffle on a plate and set the plate on the kitchen island where there was already butter and maple syrup. And a flower. The rose was a very deep shade of red, and in full bloom, sitting in a narrow crystal vase. Where had he gotten that? And more importantly, why? I glanced up at him and he didn't say anything, but did hand me a fork and knife. He finished making his own waffles and sat down next to me. I waited for him to mention the flower, but he didn't. He was almost finished eating before he said anything at all. "I found a book of questions in the living room."

"What?"

"It's a book and it has nothing but questions in it, look," he stood up and grabbed my now empty plate and his own and put them in the sink. He grabbed my hand and it felt like something akin to static electricity, something I'd never felt before unless you counted shocking myself on doorknobs. He led me into the living room and handed me a small but thick black book. I opened it up at random.

"If you were to name someone who has been the biggest role model in your life, who would it be?"

"My father, if I could be even half as great as he is, I'd be happy." Edward was arranging wood in the fireplace; once the fire was started he sat down on the couch next to me. I opened the book to a random page again and looked at the questions. There was no way I was asking _any_ of those; I started to look at another page when Edward stopped me.

"Hey, you can't pick and choose; you just ask the first one you see."

"You're making up rules, plus I don't want to ask any of those."

"I'm the one that has to answer them." He looked me right in the eye and I blinked first, going back to my original page.

I sighed heavily, already feeling the blush creeping across my face. "I really don't want to ask this…" I paused, waiting for him to give me a reprieve, but he didn't.

"Now I'm curious, so either you ask me or I'm going to ask you."

"Ok, you asked for it." I inhaled deeply; "if you wanted to turn on…your lover" I closed my eyes, "as quickly as possible, how would you do it?" I opened my eyes and kept them directly on the book, waiting for him to laugh and tell me to ask something different. When I couldn't take it anymore I looked up, he looked deep in thought.

After another moment he scooted closer. I was already leaning against the arm of the couch and couldn't move any further back. "Well, I would try to catch her off guard, come up behind her and spin her around, press her up against me really close. I would kiss her collarbone here," he touched his own, trailing his fingers from the outer edge to where it met the hollow of his throat. He did it completely absentmindedly. "Maybe use my teeth if I knew she liked it. I would touch her and kiss her everywhere except for where she really wanted me to…and then when I couldn't hold back any longer, it would just be happening, right then and there."

I sat there and tried to keep my mouth shut. I cleared my throat.

"My turn now?" He asked.

I nodded and handed him the book.

We spent the rest of the morning passing the book back and forth. There wasn't another question quite like that last one and for that I was grateful. I had trouble answering all of them, not because they were particularly difficult, but because I couldn't get what Edward said out of my mind. I pictured what he said over and over and eventually I was the woman he was doing it to. I was being caught off guard, both literally and in my imagination. I began watching the small movements he made on the couch, the way he held the book, how lightly his fingers skimmed the pages before he turned them, and the way he always looked me in the eye like he saw so much more in my face than there really was.

We were camped out on that couch; we ate lunch there and spent most of the day sitting with each other. For a while we weren't even talking; I was stretched out along most of the couch reading my book and he was sitting at the end, his long legs crossed at the ankle and resting on the coffee table reading a book of his own. I kept sneaking glances at him; I couldn't help it. At one point he moved to hold his book in one hand and, not taking his eyes off the text, used his free hand to scoop my feet up and onto his lap; it was as if it were something he did with me all the time. The moment was so tender it took all my willpower not to sidle up next to him and kiss him.

By nightfall, there was a blizzard outside in full force and I had to admit, there was no place I'd rather be than here with Edward. I couldn't say precisely when or exactly why it happened, but I could feel myself falling. Had it really only been twenty four hours? I had no idea what to do about it, so I did as much as I was comfortable with, namely – nothing.

After dinner, we resumed our perennial couching, but this time in the den so we could watch a movie. I couldn't help but look at him; his skin took on this glow in the dim light. Finally, I got up; I needed to move to another room, clear my head. Normally, I would have left the house entirely, but we were still snowed in and it was probably worse now than it was this morning.

I excused myself and walked into the kitchen. I didn't know what I was going to do there, but it was the farthest point away from Edward without actually walking upstairs. I opened a bottle of wine and pulled a glass from the cupboard; I poured carefully and pushed the cork back down on the bottle and then put it back with the others. I turned the glass around by the stem a few slow revolutions before picking it up and taking an unhurried swallow. It was a little sweet and warmed me from the inside out. I took a second drink.

I could feel Edward behind me a second before he made himself known. At first I thought my overworked imagination had gotten the better of me, but no, this was happening. I felt his warmth against my back; it gave me a feeling not entirely unlike the wine. He was standing far too close to be an accident. I kept my glass in my hand and turned around. His eyes looked intent, as if he had decided something vitally important. Before I could do anything, his hands were on me. One smoothed across my jaw and into my hair, the other caught me around the waist and pulled me even closer. What I thought would be a crushing, altering kiss actually started out slowly. At least, it did at first. I parted my lips after a moment and let him in; I think that was what undid him. I felt what sounded like a low groan in his throat. He lifted me up onto the counter and I dropped my wine glass. It shattered at our feet, the sound splitting the silence of the room. His mouth was at my ear. "Leave it."

And then it was just happening. Our clothes were stripped away and tossed haphazardly around the room. I was pretty sure he'd ripped a button off my shirt. It felt like his hands, his mouth, were everywhere at once. I went into it with equal abandon. The scent of the wine rose from the floor, the sharp, sweet smell forever linked with his moans and my own, the feel of his skin, of what he was doing to me.

As we both tumbled into oblivion, Edward whispered my name.

When it was over, he wouldn't let me down from the counter because of the broken glass. Instead, he picked me up, cradling me against his chest and carried me across to the living room, setting me quietly on the couch. I watched, grinning, as he turned around and walked back into the kitchen to clean up. While he was kneeling down behind the island, I got up and ran upstairs, pulling all the blankets off my bed. I piled everything on top of each other in front of the fireplace and then lay down under the first layer of blankets, tugging it so it rested under my arms.

By the time he came back, I'd replayed the scene in the kitchen at least once more. I heard his footsteps as he came around the couch; he pulled up the blanket to get in and then pressed himself against me, putting one arm under my head and the other around my waist. We settled into each other and after a while, fell asleep.

I woke up the next morning with the distinct feeling that I was alone. The fire seemed to have petered out long ago and the space next to me was cold.

I am _such_ an idiot.

What did I do last night? I couldn't blame the alcohol; I didn't even have half a glass. It was just my own asinine mind that thought maybe Edward really wanted me the way I thought I wanted him. Oh God, what's going to happen now? Are we still snowed in? Will we have to make awkward conversation or just avoid each other until everybody else gets here? I can't believe I let this happen. Maybe I can pretend it didn't matter; I can be an adult, these things happen. No big deal; it was fun.

But it was so much more than just fun.

I got up and looked around; I couldn't hear anything. I went upstairs and took a shower, scrubbing every last bit of Edward's scent off of me. I am _such_ an idiot.

I had a vain hope that I would walk downstairs and he'd be there, making breakfast and waiting for me, but he wasn't. I walked over to the front door and put my coat on and stepped outside; the road had been plowed. It looked like Edward had shoveled off our drive as well. Was it so bad that he had to escape this fast? I checked the time, it was nearly eleven o'clock. Merry Christmas to me.

I stayed away from the kitchen and the living room, choosing instead to sit in the den and turn the television on to drown out my sorrows. I switched it from the happy Christmas movie that was playing to a movie where some guy was being hacked to pieces.

It was almost noon when I heard the door open. I was determined to play nonchalant and didn't turn around; I stared at the screen as a big breasted girl was chased through the woods. She wasn't going to make it.

"Bella?" I heard him call out and as much as I had convinced myself to play it cool; I knew I couldn't. I got up and walked to the entryway, fully intending to confront him about the last night. "You would not believe how hard it is to find a tree on Christmas morning." Edward's voice sounded a little breathless as he walked in, carrying a big, thick Douglas fir under his arm. Once the tree was all the way in, he stood it upright. "What do you think? I thought we could put it in the living room by the window."

Edward bought a Christmas tree?

"Or somewhere else…if you want," he said, waiting for me to say something. "Do you like it?"

I swallowed. "Yes."

His face brightened. "There's some more stuff in my truck, I'll be right back," he lay the tree back down on it's side and walked out. I ran over to the doorway; it was freezing but I didn't care. His big Jeep was pulled up right in front of the porch and he was taking big plastic bags out of the back. I watched, still unable to form any coherent thoughts. Once his arms were loaded down he came back inside, his cheeks were flushed. "Hey," he grinned at me, setting the bags down on the floor and almost lifting me off the ground in a hug. I pressed my face into his cold chest and slipped my arms inside his jacket, trying to warm him.

"Want to see what else I got?"

I nodded, not letting go of him. He chuckled and pulled back to look at me; he lifted my chin. "I planned to be back before you woke up; I wanted to surprise you with everything. Sorry, it probably came across…badly. It's just that this doesn't happen to me often…ever." He pressed a lingering kiss on my lips. "I'm sorry."

I shook my head slightly; I was just happy he was back. I laughed to myself, thinking about everything that had gone on in my head since I woke up. "So, what'd you get?"

"Let's get out of the entryway and I'll show you."

I tried to help him carry the bags in, but he insisted on doing it himself. I don't know how he managed, but he held all the bags plus the tree without dropping anything. "Here?" He asked; he was positioning the tree in front of the center part of the large window. I nodded and helped him put it in the stand he bought. Before he could show me what else he'd gotten, his phone rang; it was Alice. "Hello?" He laughed at whatever it was she said. "Ok…she asked to be put on speaker."

"Merry Christmas you guys! The roads are looking better over here so we're heading out there first thing tomorrow. Don't you dare open any gifts until we get there!"

"Alice, you have all of mine," I reminded her. I'd wrapped everything and left them with her to bring up.

"Oh, that's right, well regardless. We can all open things together tomorrow, ok? See you soon, be good you two." We said goodbye and got back to work.

Edward had managed to find lights, bulbs, and even a star for the top of the tree. I couldn't figure out where he got the energy for all of this. There was still one more bag once we were done with the tree, but he wouldn't let me look inside. I was very glad I'd thought to buy him a gift. I wasn't going to at first, but felt bad because I'd gotten everyone else that was going to be here something and thought it would be rude to leave him out. He wrapped whatever he'd gotten me in the den and then came back to set it under the tree. It was about the size of a tissue box, only a little taller.

We had lunch when we were finished with the tree. After that well…we spent some time in bed.

We'd ended up in his bedroom (it was closer) until it was dark outside. "Can I ask you something?" I was laying on my back with Edward over me; he was resting his head on my chest, but very careful not to put much weight on me.

"Mmhmm," he answered.

"What was it that made you change your mind about me?"

"What do you mean?"

"What made you like me after all?"

Edward propped himself up on his elbows to look at me. He seemed to study my face for a while before answering. "I always liked you." He cast his eyes downward, "I know I came off as rude, it's just…I never thought I had a chance." He looked up at me again. "I get so wrapped up in the idea that I'm going to end up hurting someone that I push them away and then they're hurt anyway…I don't know, does that make any sense?"

I nodded. "So, you liked me this whole time?"

"Yeah." He moved up to kiss me; he tasted sweet.

"Wait," I said, out of breath. "How long have you felt this way?"

He chose not to hear the "wait" part; currently his mouth was making its way down my neck to my collarbone. I tried to hold my rapidly beating heart in check. "Since I first met you."

I thought back to when we met, that was over a year ago. "We should make up for lost time then."

I felt him smile against me, "yes we should."


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Thank you guys for reading this; I hope you enjoyed it even half as much I as enjoyed writing it.

Nice reviews are better than chocolate, unless maybe you're licking that chocolate off someone.

* * *

Part Three

"_My love, give me more"_

We stayed in bed for as long as we could the next morning, talking about all the non-important things that entered our minds. Alice called promptly at 9:30 to tell us they were on their way. "So," I said, biting my lip, "they're going to have questions about us." We both decided to keep our relationship from them until we went back home. Neither of us was crazy about all the attention it would cause otherwise.

For some reason, this turned into a sort of sexual innuendo game of how far we could take it without revealing ourselves.

Alice and company were due to arrive around two o'clock so by 1:30 Edward and I were presentable. He'd started a fire so we were both in the living room kissing.

Hey, they weren't here yet.

We were oblivious to the rest of the world until a very bright, very familiar voice called out to us from the entryway. "Hello!"

Edward held me close for an instant longer before we quickly scooted to opposite ends of the couch.

"Well as I live and breathe, you two are in the same room!" Ben's exclamation was cut short by an elbow to the ribs by Angela. He stifled an "ouch" and smiled in our direction, holding up a bag of presents. "Merry Christmas!"

Edward and I both stood up to help them into the house. "How was your drive?" Edward asked, grabbing Alice's suitcase and gifts bag from her. We carried everything into the living room where it was unceremoniously dropped on the floor.

"She drives like a maniac," Jasper commented, a wry smile on his face; the way he said it sounded like a compliment.

"Who got the Christmas tree? That's so sweet," Alice immediately started putting gifts under the tree while the rest of the group relaxed on the couch. I went over to help her. "Did you guys get this together?" She mumbled, her eyes wide.

"No, he got it yesterday morning; I helped him decorate though."

She paused to look at me, "are you two…getting along?"

I repressed a smile, "he only attacked me once, right over there." I nodded toward the kitchen and looked up to see her expression; she had one manicured eyebrow raised in question. I put my head down and leaned forward to put another gift under the tree. "I'm kidding, it's a big house, and honestly I've hardly even seen him." I moved further away to hide the blush spreading across my face. I can't believe I said all of that with a straight face.

I don't know how we were deciding the winner of our little innuendo game, but that had to be a point for me.

Alice and I finished arranging the gifts when she pointed out that there had been one gift with my name on it when she'd started. I told her Edward was probably just trying to be nice. "See, I told you, just got to get to know him a little."

I nodded and didn't say anything.

She stayed kneeling, "what were you guys doing when we got here?"

I looked down, "nothing, just talking."

She raised both eyebrows this time.

"What? You told me to give it a shot."

Her expression softened. "I'm glad you guys are getting along," she moved to give me a quick peck on the cheek before standing up. "Jasper and I brought a turkey!" She announced to the room.

The boys all went into the den to hang out while Alice, Angela, and I went to work in the kitchen. Edward had tried to come in to help, but Alice pushed him out. "But this is where all the real action is," he said, looking at me a little too directly.

One for Edward.

The remark seemed to go over Alice's head and she kicked him out. Angela and I prepared the turkey while Alice got everyone wine. "How much did you guys have to drink before we got here?" She asked, noticing that one of the bottles was nearly empty; I stifled my laughter.

"I only had a couple of glasses," I picked up a glass while Alice picked up the other two to take to the guys. We walked into the den where the boys were in the middle of a serious round of "Bullshit". Jasper didn't appear to be doing very well; he had about half the deck. Alice went to him and gave him the glass and a quick kiss.

"It's ok, you're still in it," she smiled at him.

"It's Edward, it's like he can read minds or something."

Ben nodded in agreement; I noticed he had most of the rest of the cards while Edward only had five. I sat on the arm of the couch just slightly behind Edward and the rest of the boys around the coffee table. I leaned forward and touched the cool glass on his arm just below the hem of his t-shirt. "Wine?" He turned around to take the glass. "Looks like you're making out pretty well," I dared a quick wink at him. I didn't even blush.

Another one for me.

Edward grinned and took a sip of the wine. "Tastes good," he winked back.

Definitely one for him.

A mumbled "I should get back to Angela" was all I could come up with and I turned and went back to the kitchen. Alice followed a short while later.

"What the hell?" Alice said when she got back into the kitchen. Angela and I both turned on the island stools to look at her. "Did Edward _wink_ at you?"

How could she have possibly seen that? "Uh, what?" I asked lamely. I prayed that I wouldn't blush, or at least that she wouldn't notice.

She was looking at me suspiciously; Edward and I weren't even going to make it a whole day without everyone finding out. "Ben saw, he said Edward winked at you when you gave him the wine." I could see a smile playing at the corner of her mouth. "You know what I think…"

I tried not to visibly swallow. "What's that?"

"I think he likes you."

I exhaled and tried to play it off as nothing. "What?" I scoffed. "He doesn't even want to be in the same room as me."

Alice stared at me; I could practically hear her wheels turning.

"So I think it's time to baste the turkey," Angela intervened, standing up, but to no avail.

"You _like_ him!" She exclaimed.

My eyes widened at her astuteness. My first reaction was to say 'how do you know that?' but I held back. Instead I went with the always convenient, "Nuh-uh." I huffed a quick laugh, "I do not. You've seen us; we always end up insulting each other." Was I allowed to take a point away from Edward for being too obvious? Nevermind, I just did. I turned and opened the oven to baste the turkey.

"I knew something weird was going on between you two." Alice continued.

"It looks good," Angela was still trying to divert Alice's freight train of thought.

"Yeah, should be ready by seven, you think?" I asked.

Alice sat on the stool I'd vacated with a smug smile on her face which made me nervous, but not so nervous that I was willing to bring up the subject to ask what she was thinking. So Edward and I weren't quite subtle enough, I _knew_ I didn't want to play that game. I was going to have to tell him to take everything down a couple of levels before everyone caught on. I had a sneaking suspicion by the gleam in Alice's eyes that she had decided to use the rest of our time here to set me up with Edward. I laughed to myself at the thought. When I looked up both Alice and Angela were staring at me; I hadn't realized my distraction had been so noticeable.

"You've got it bad," Alice grinned. Even Angela was holding back a smile.

"I've got nothing, go mash some potatoes."

By seven o'clock all three of the guys had come in to ask when the food would be ready at least once. We rang the proverbial dinner bell just after seven to a couple of cheers and one good natured "_finally_" from Ben. "Edward, why don't you sit there," she gestured to the seat next to me. I took deep breaths to keep from blushing too badly. Everyone took a seat around the big table while Alice poured more wine. The sweet smell of it was almost too much to take. Edward glanced at me from the corner of his eye and his mouth turned up in a grin too quick for anyone but me to notice. The passing of the food began then so no one noticed my sudden discomfort. I hadn't gotten a chance to talk to Edward since Alice had decided to set us up.

The conversation flowed easily around the table and thankfully, Alice didn't mention my relationship with Edward, at least not to anyone but me. The guys offered to clean up dinner afterward and we didn't protest. Alice, Angela, and I sat in the den; they relaxed while I waited for a good time to excuse myself. After a few minutes I stood up, "I'm going to get a glass of water." I went into the kitchen where Edward was dutifully rinsing off plates while Jasper and Ben were in a deep discussion on the health benefits of apple versus pumpkin pie. Edward looked up as I passed by and moved to follow me into the entryway. "I need to talk to you," I said quietly.

"What's the matter?" I must have made it seem more distressing than it probably was; I tried to lighten up a bit.

"Alice is trying to set us up."

Edward started laughing.

"Shh! It's not _that_ funny. She knows you winked at me."

He had stopped laughing, but still had a big, silly grin on his face. "Is that why she wanted me to sit next to you at dinner?" I nodded. He sighed, "well, let her set us up then. She'll have the satisfaction of doing it and we won't have to hide or answer a million questions." He took a step closer.

I thought it over for a minute. It did make sense and this way she wouldn't ask us anything because she would assume us being together was totally her doing. And it would probably make her happy. "Ok, I'm in." He smiled and gave me a quick kiss before we went back to our groups.

After everything was cleaned up, we gathered in the living room to open gifts. Alice nominated Jasper to hand them out and she nominated herself to take pictures of all of us. I got a new book I'd been wanting from Angela and Ben and a slim fitting satin top (which was actually quite lovely) from Alice and Jasper. I saved my gift from Edward until everyone was busy opening their own things. I gave him a look asking whether or not it was appropriate to open in front of everyone and he nodded. I tore the paper carefully; it covered a box which I also opened. It was a wine glass. Edward leaned a little closer to me and murmured, "I also got one to replace the one we broke."

I couldn't fight the blush.

"I got you something else too, but that's for later." He said before he straightened back up.

I put the glass back in the box and kept it on my lap. We were all swimming in paper and ribbon by the time we were done and in no mood to clean it all up right away. Instead we talked for a little while before retreating to our bedrooms. Alice and Jasper took the bedroom next to mine while Angela and Ben decided to sleep in the loft. I was glad to hear there was another bed up there.

I couldn't sleep; not knowing that one floor below Edward was in bed too. He had wanted to sneak up to my room, but I told him no since Alice had the hearing of a bat. By 1 a.m. though, I was having second thoughts. Very carefully, I got out of bed and crept downstairs. I checked to make sure no one else was up and then very slowly, opened Edward's door.

"Bella?" His voice sounded deeper than normal and I felt my heart pick up the pace immediately.

"Hey," I walked closer, not sure what I was going to do.

Edward lifted up his blankets and made room for me; I crawled in and snuggled up to him. When my cold feet touched his legs, he jumped. "Sorry," I whispered.

He smiled, "it's ok." He wrapped his arms around me and turned so I was lying on top of him. I gave him a lingering kiss, enjoying the warmth coming off his skin. Soon it was coming off my own skin as well. We changed positions; I was on my back with Edward half over me, one arm planted on either side. "Can I give you your other present now?"

I bit my lip, "you didn't have to buy me anything."

"I didn't buy it," he got up and rifled through his bag. Did I mention how good he looked without his shirt on? He sat at the edge of the bed with a square box too big to hold a ring. "I told you before that I've had feelings for you since we met, well…" he trailed off; it looked like he was trying to gather the nerve to say something. It was an odd look for him. "When Alice told Jasper and I that you had driven up already I jumped in my car and left; I knew I couldn't wait any longer. I couldn't spend a week in this house with you and not tell you how I felt, it would make me crazy. Anyway, I brought this with me; it's been in my family for a long time. It usually gets passed down to the first daughter, but I'm an only child."

I sat up, "no, I don't want to take an heirloom from you. It belongs in your family."

"Please? I want you to have it," he looked at me with his most persuasive, pleading expression and I gave in.

"Ok…" He took my hand and dropped the box in it. I took off the lid slowly, afraid of what I might find. My eyes widened as I took in charm, it was a heart, cut to sparkle even in the almost total darkness of the room. "Edward." I didn't know what to say.

"Sorry it doesn't have a chain; I didn't know if you'd want to wear it as a necklace or a bracelet, or if you'd just throw it back at me."

"It's beautiful, I…thank you," I could feel my eyes watering; I touched the heart.

Edward pulled me onto his lap and kissed my forehead. "It's always been yours."

I left Edward's room a little after two in the morning; I could have stayed there all night but we were going to let Alice think everything was her doing. I was tip-toeing over to the stairs when I heard a floorboard creak somewhere behind me. I stopped and turned around, thinking it was Edward, but I could barely see my hand in front of my face let alone another person. It must have been my imagination, after all. But then I heard it again, followed by another noise I couldn't quite place. I was tempted to run back into Edward's room; I turned to look behind me again. "Hello?" I whispered. It was met with silence so I decided not to waste any more time and ran up the stairs.

"Bella?"

The sudden noise surprised me and I tripped on a stair, landing hard on my knee. I recognized the voice. "Alice?" I called out, relieved. A dim light at the foot of the stairs came on, Alice stood there with her arms crossed.

"You scared the crap out of me!" She stage whispered.

"You scared me too," I got up and inspected my knee; I was probably going to have a bruise.

She started ascending the stairs, "you know, you forget how quiet and dark it is when you live in the city. What were you doing?"

I thought fast, "getting some water."

"Oh? Me too, how come you weren't in the kitchen?"

"I was…in the den. I couldn't sleep, the quiet, you know." The answer seemed to satisfy her curiosity. "Well, good night." I said, almost to the safety of my room.

"'Night. Wait, did you lose a button?" She asked before she opened her door.

I froze. "What?"

"I stepped on a button in the kitchen."

"Oh, no it's not mine. See you tomorrow." I ran inside my bedroom and closed the door before she could ask any more questions.

The rest of the week went perfectly. Edward and I moved a little closer every day, letting Alice have her fun. She was elated to see that our feelings for each other seemed mutual. She had invited more people up for a New Year's Eve party now that it had stopped snowing and the roads were cleared.

The afternoon of the party, Alice insisted on helping me get ready; Angela hung out with us to provide something of a buffer. She had finished with my make-up, which actually turned out quite nice, and was currently digging through my suitcase to find my favorite cashmere sweater. She pulled a shirt out, "Bella…it was your button."

"What?" It had become my go-to response.

"See? You're missing a button on this shirt, hmm," she kept looking, too distracted to look any further into it. "Oh, I forgot to ask, what did Edward get you for Christmas?" She pulled out the black sweater and grey slacks.

I felt my face turning a deep crimson, "a wine glass."

"A wine glass?" Angela said, tilting her head to the side.

"That's weird. Maybe he'll get better with time," she grinned. "Here, put this on and then I'll do your hair."

We were just finishing up when the first guests arrived; they were some friends of Edward and Jasper from college. After that, people poured in (despite the weather). Alice flitted through the crowd with Jasper, socializing and refilling everyone's glass. The crowd had gotten thick enough that Edward and I didn't have to pretend quite as hard not to be a couple.

"I want to kiss you," he murmured into my ear. We stood by the window a few feet from the Christmas tree. I looked at him, a mix of desire and nerves evident in my expression. "Midnight, ok? Then let them wonder or whatever they're going to do."

"Ok," I smiled, almost kissing him right then and there.

I watched his gaze move over my body. The black, low V-neck sweater skimmed snugly over my frame and Edward was taking pleasure in that fact. "You look gorgeous tonight."

I looked down for a moment before raising my face to meet his eyes, "you don't look half bad yourself." He had on black slacks just tight enough to give every woman in the room ideas and a burgundy button down shirt so dark it was almost black. I noticed right away that I could see the outline of his muscles clearly through it and now I could barely contain myself. He had rolled the sleeves midway up his forearms, the material clung to him and I found myself making any excuse to touch him.

Alice strode over with a big smile on her face, "more wine, you two?"

"No, I'm fine for now." I said.

"None for me thank you."

"One hour until midnight," she said suggestively before walking back to Jasper on the other side of the room.

We spent most of the next hour being social at Alice's insistence. She introduced us by calling me Edward's date which was basically true but still made me laugh. He led me through the room with his hand on my lower back. He'd made a tiny space between the bottom of my shirt and the waistband of my pants and every so often I could feel the tip of a finger brush across my skin.

"Ok everybody," Alice was standing on the coffee table to get everyone's attention. Jasper stood near with an arm out just in case he needed to catch her. "Thank you all for coming, I hope you all are having a good time!" This was met with a round of cheers and raised glasses. "One minute 'til midnight!" She took Jasper's hand and he helped her down before sweeping her up into a hug.

I suddenly felt butterflies in my stomach. I was about to kiss Edward, right in the middle of the room, in front of my friends and not to mention a bunch of strangers.

My worry was stalled by the look on Edward's face as he pulled me closer. It was desire and elation I saw in his eyes, plus something else. Love? He wrapped his arms around me and it didn't matter anymore who might be watching. I heard Alice start counting "10,9,8…" and then everyone else joined in except us. He kept his eyes on mine and the room seemed to quiet down and fade out almost completely. Very faintly I heard the cheers erupt in the room around us. Edward brought his mouth to mine, barely skimming my lips at first; it was sweet but tentative. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. He responded eagerly and soon I felt the tip of his tongue brush across my lower lip.

We stayed that way through an entire chorus of Auld Lang Syne before parting. "Happy New Year," he said quietly. He kissed me once more softly before moving so we were side by side. Someone had opened a bottle of champagne and passed us each a glass; we touched them together and took a sip. I looked in the direction I had last seen Alice, but she was preoccupied with Jasper. He had lifted her off the ground so he wouldn't have to lean so far down to kiss her. I smiled and turned back to Edward. He hugged me and I wanted to stop time and stay there forever.

A few couples that had a little too much fun slept over that night so Edward and I helped clean up that morning and waited until they were gone before we packed up too. Since we had taken separate cars, I was going to follow Edward back to his apartment. Jasper and Alice were going to stay at the cabin one more night. We all hugged good bye and Alice gave me a quick "I told you so" before we left; she was very proud of herself.

We loaded up the cars and waved good bye one more time, thrilled to have a place to ourselves for another night.

We still had a lot of time to make up for after all.

* * *

Alice and Jasper were relaxing together in the den watching a movie. That's what it would look like to a bystander anyway. In truth, Jasper was trying to come up with the best way of coming on to Alice without simply jumping her and Alice was in the middle of an epiphany. Jasper gave it up first. He touched his fingertips to her face, turning it toward him. When she complied, he stared at her for a moment; it was always like the first time. He glided his lips over hers, fixing them instead on her neck. Jasper would never get over her taste. He leaned her back on the couch. She jumped up instead. "Wait!"

Jasper leaned on the couch over the space where she should have been. "What is it?"

Without a word, she walked quickly into the kitchen with Jasper trailing. "They were sitting together on the couch when we got here, right? Then when I talked to Bella she said Edward 'only attacked her once' in the kitchen." She made little air quotes. "The wine glass, I'm not sure….and the button…where's my phone?!" She turned on her heel and grabbed her phone from the living room.

Bella picked up on the fourth ring. "Hel..lo?"

"You had _sex_ with Edward before we even got here! In the _kitchen_!"

Bella didn't say anything for a moment; Alice thought she heard a muffled laugh and some kind of shuffling.

"Don't even try and deny it! After all your talk, and you guys-"

"Good night Alice, we had a great time and we love you. We'll see you when you get back," Edward said, his voice sounded strange, husky. Alice heard a muted "good night" from Bella.

"…Good night…" Alice replied as they hung up. She turned to face Jasper who was watching her with an amused expression on his face. "They didn't even need me."

Jasper took a few steps closer until he was pressed up against her, his arms around her waist. "I need you." He grinned, waiting for her response. She reached up to wrap her arms around him.

"Maybe we can stay tomorrow night too?"

"As long as you want." With that, he picked her up.

They made it all the way to the couch.

end

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Author's Note: I'm going back to work on Tinsel Town now, but I wanted to let you know that I'll be gone for the next week (obligatory Christmas gatherings, etc). I'll have my laptop, but I have no idea how much free time I'll have to write. So Merry Christmas to everyone that will be celebrating it!


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